That’s not advice coming from Capitol Imaging Services. Of course, we fully endorse it and have recommended these courses of action for years. People must stop being passive patients and become engaged as a active consumer.

This advice comes from a myriad of sources, from reporters who cover investigative stories on healthcare prices to national organizations who recommend ways for people to save on their healthcare spending. In one blog post, one writer recalls his experience as a patient in trying to find a more affordable MRI option.

In this particular example, the person has a health savings account, which most people with health insurance coverage have when enrolled in a high deductible health plan. These types of plans contain a deductible that for a single is often $1,500 – $2,500 per year and for family coverage can go as high as $5,000 – $10,000 per year.

That means that insurance benefits do not begin in payments until the deductible is met.

Early in the calendar year, most have not met their deductible. Some go most, if not the entire year, without fulfilling their deductible. Until deductible fulfillment is met, people as patients are 100 percent responsible for paying healthcare costs. The only exclusion to the fulfillment of a deductible in which services are covered 100 percent by insurance are services covered by the Affordable Care Act such as wellness exams and screening mammograms.

This includes MRI.

Back to the story. The person started with a “lab” telling him the charge was $2,500. However, with insurance discounts, the price went to $1,500 and then to $1,000 if he wanted to forego insurance and pay himself. From there, he went the extra step to another “lab” and found a self-pay price of $600.

The kicker: being told that the MRI at the hospital near this lab would probably cost somewhere between $3,000 – $4,000!

So, the writer urges you to PIPE UP to your doctor, PICK UP the phone and START SHOPPING. You’ll find that the vast majority, if not all, common imaging exams can be performed at an outpatient imaging center for far less than a hospital. At Capitol Imaging Services, we provide the same — if not better — quality of care and service. The doctor gets the results they need.

Capitol Imaging Services often lowers out of pocket costs for patients by performing our exams at lower fees. For people with unfulfilled health insurance deductibles, that’s a major financial advantage.

Take the time. Make inquiries. The effort can and will be worth it. Choose Capitol Imaging Services. We are doctor trusted and patient preferred.